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[NickSMU17]

Guess they didn't get the memo about our recruiting class....


Team preview: SMU
Blue Ribbon Yearbook previews the 2010-11 season, exclusively on Insider

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Blue Ribbon Yearbook

Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 335 Division I teams. To order the complete 2010-11 edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.
(Information in this team report is as of Oct. 1.)

COACH AND PROGRAM

Last season was undoubtedly Matt Doherty's best since taking over at SMU in 2006, but it was not a giant leap up the ladder. Though the Mustangs claimed a "signature win" over Memphis, recorded their highest-ever finish in C-USA and proved tough to beat at home, the bottom line was another season under .500, which was a bit of a disappointment given the amount of experience on the roster.

Though SMU is not a high-pressure environment, it"s clear 2010-11 is an important season for Doherty. While it may be difficult to pinpoint what would be considered success for the Mustangs, taking obvious backward steps year five could very well put his tenure in jeopardy.

"You always want more, but we made progress," Doherty said. "We had some tough nonconference games, and we could have easily been 17-14. If we were, people would say, 'Hey, we turned it around.' We're very close, and I think there will be buildup from last year."

It would require some blind faith to believe momentum will carry over to this season, because SMU's lineup lost some of its top-end talent at key positions. The Mustangs graduated their offensive sparkplug in point guard Derrick Williams (16.6 ppg) and their most talented player in 6-9 wing Mouhammad Faye (10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg), but they also lost their point guard successor in Paul McCoy (7.4 ppg), who chose to transfer after a disappointing sophomore campaign.

PLAYERS

Doherty, however, believes this is the season where the program's depth will be showcased.

SMU Mustangs
Last Season 14-17 (.452)
Conference Record 7-9 (t-7th)
Starters Lost/Returning 2/3
Coach Matt Doherty (North Carolina '84)
Record At School 47-75 (4 years)
Career Record 137-146 (9 years)
RPI Last 5 years 269-206-265-271-211

"We lose a couple important players, but I think we have a system in place with the way we want to play, and with a lot of guys coming back we'll be able to build on that," he said. "This is really my first group of seniors, guys that have been through the program four years. Their leadership, their work ethic, their investment, their attitudes are terrific. I think this is going to be a fun group to coach. There's a lot of positive energy."

SMU did not lose every significant piece. After a disappointing sophomore year, 6-9 senior forward Papa Dia (12.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) bounced back in a big way last season and became one of the league's top big men, earning third-team All-C-USA honors. Dia collected 10 double-doubles, shot .544 and played with a bit of a nasty edge, which was nice for Doherty to see after he had openly questioned Dia's desire earlier in his career.

Doherty credited Dia's backup, 6-11, 230-pound senior Myles Luttman (0.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg), for pushing him hard every day in practice.

"I think emotionally he's matured a lot," Doherty said. "The year before, he didn't start and didn't handle that great. Now he knows he's a senior, and it's almost like it's his team and it"s time to step up and carry us. He carried us a lot last year."

Dia is not just a back-to-the-basket guy; he can do enough things in the high post where SMU can feel comfortable playing through him. He was also very effective on pick-and-rolls last season, but a lot of that success was because of Williams, who guided an offense that ranked fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (.457). Replacing him is going to be a huge challenge, and even deep into the summer it was a bit unclear who would emerge as the Mustangs' new point guard.

Doherty is putting a lot of eggs in the basket of 5-10 Jeremiah Samarrippas (12.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 7.3 apg, Bartow HS/Tampa, Fla.), a freshman who signed in April after flying under the radar of most major recruiting services despite earning 5A Player-of-the-Year honors and finishing third in Florida's Mr. Basketball voting.

"He's a little guard, but he kind of reminds me of a Steve Nash type of player," Doherty said. "He won a state championship in Florida and was the player of the year, so I'm excited about him. I think it's the most important position and it's important to see how he can step up and take control of that position for us."

Doherty acknowledges that Samarrippas may not be ready to start right away, but SMU may not have much of a choice, because the other guards on the roster are more suited to the two position.

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Junior Rodney Clinkscales (6-1, 4.6 ppg, 17.7 mpg) probably comes closest to a combo guard, and he may be able to play the point, despite the fact he didn't get many minutes there last season. Clinkscales does bring some shooting ability after connecting on 41 percent of his three-pointers last season.

"He's a really good guy, a good leader," Doherty said. "He's going to be a solid contributor for us. I look for him to really step up his game."

SMU has more depth at shooting guard than any other position. Newcomer Alaiksei Patsevich (10.3 ppg, .350 3PT, Collin County CC/Plano, Texas), a 6-4 sophomore, had an inconsistent freshman season in junior college after coming over from Belarus, but he's a bigger talent than his numbers suggest.

After falling out of the rotation completely last year, 6-4 senior Ryan Harp (1.4 ppg, 11.9 mpg in 16 appearances) rededicated himself in the offseason to the point where Doherty "would be surprised if he doesn't help us on the floor."

Senior Mike Walker (2.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 11.7 mpg), 6-1, has contributed on a limited basis in the past, and 6-5 post-graduate transfer Collin Mangrum could see some time after averaging 14.8 minutes and 4.1 points last season at North Texas.

But the big key is how much improvement SMU gets out of 6-5 junior Justin Haynes (5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg), who started 27 games last season. Haynes is probably the most athletic guard on the roster, but he struggles a bit with ball handling and shooting (he hit 61 percent of his field goals, but rarely shot the ball from outside).

"We need him to improve and have a bigger role because he's got the athletic ability to be a very good player for us," Doherty said.

The Mustangs feel good about their small forward and power forward positions. Junior Robert Nyakundi (7.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) is more of a perimeter guy at 6-8 and an exceptional long-distance shooter, ranking fourth in the league in three-point percentage (.400, 46-of-115). Doherty would like to see what Nyakundi could do if he were healthy for a full season; last season, he struggled with knee and heel issues after Christmas. Depending on how many guards Doherty wants to play, Nyakundi can play either the three or four.

The big addition to SMU's frontcourt this season is 6-7 freshman Leslee Smith (Christian Life Center/Humble, Texas), who chose the Mustangs over Western Kentucky. Doherty projects him as a potential freshman starter.

"He's an inside-outside guy that can pass, rebound, run, handle the ball and score," Doherty said. "I don't think we've had a player like him since I've been here."

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: C
BENCH/DEPTH: C
FRONTCOURT: B+
INTANGIBLES: B-

Because of his pedigree at Notre Dame and North Carolina, a lot of people thought Doherty would have a solid program up and running by now at SMU. With a brand new practice facility and an ad-ministration that gave him a contract extension last year, Doherty certainly can't complain about the university's commitment over the last few years. But for whatever reason, the big payoff hasn't happened yet, and the Mustangs are a 17-51 against C-USA opponents since Doherty took over. Though Doherty initially brought a lot of enthusiasm to the job and has tried to rally the support of the SMU community, the numbers to this point don't stack up in his favor.

In fairness, there was indeed improvement last season, especially given the overall improvement of the league. On the other hand, the general feeling is that SMU lost three very talented players who will be difficult to replace in the short- or long-term given the direction of the program's recruiting. Doherty, however, is steadfast in his belief the Mustangs will be even better than they were a year ago.

"Hey, I'd like to have a winning season, I'd like to go to postseason play," he said. "We've got to continue to get better, and I think we will be and we'll be in position to hopefully climb into the top part of our league and win some games in our tournament and hopefully be playing after the Conference USA Tournament."

[Harry0569]

fair assessment i'd say.

[CalallenStang]

Are Smith and Pats both clear to play?

[NickSMU17]

none of them are eligible from what read last week

[ponyboy]

So we'll have no players suiting up? That ought to be awkward.

[CalallenStang]

none of them are eligible from what read last week

Yet they discuss Patsevich and say that Doherty thinks that Smith will be a "freshman starter"

[PonyDoh]

none of them are eligible from what read last week

Yet they discuss Patsevich and say that Doherty thinks that Smith will be a "freshman starter"

How about this, don't get your minute to minute SMU hoops info from preview rags. They just don't have a clue and are barely worth reading. The internet is your friend.

[CalallenStang]

none of them are eligible from what read last week

Yet they discuss Patsevich and say that Doherty thinks that Smith will be a "freshman starter"

How about this, don't get your minute to minute SMU hoops info from preview rags. They just don't have a clue and are barely worth reading. The internet is your friend.

I know they aren't great, but I do wonder when they took Doh's quote. If it was after what we saw on Rivals last week, then ESPN has some explaining to do.

[Harry0569]

none of them are eligible from what read last week

Yet they discuss Patsevich and say that Doherty thinks that Smith will be a "freshman starter"

How about this, don't get your minute to minute SMU hoops info from preview rags. They just don't have a clue and are barely worth reading. The internet is your friend.

This was probably written in July or earlier..